RHYME TIME — A few months ago Richard Bridgman of Newark sent me a limerick he’d composed. It went:

Have you heard of the columnist, Ray,

Who amuses us day after day?

His writings in verse

Are no better or worse

Than Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I consider it wonderful to be honored in a poem that actually scans, but I was reminded of Mr. Bridgman’s poetic skills primarily because that is a limerick, and according to Chase’s Annual Events, today happens to be National Limerick Day. It’s designed to pay homage to the genre that has been described as “the only fixed verse form indigenous to the English language.”

The ideal way to celebrate today, of course, would be to compose a limerick of your own. The next best thing, however, would be to try to remember some of your favorite limericks from the past. Maybe something like:

A certain young man named Bill Beebee

Was in love with a lady named Phoebe.

“But,” he said, “I must see

What the clerical fee

Be before Phoebe be Phoebe Beebee.”

Or:

I sat next to the Duchess at tea,

Distressed as a person could be.

Her rumblings abdominal

Were simply phenomenal,

And everyone thought it was me!

Those are a couple of my favorites.

I have several other favorites, but those two were the only printable ones I could think of at the moment.

ALL OVER GROVER — In response to a recent Wit-Wrencher asking for pairs of U.S. presidents with the same last name, Bob Kahn writes:

“I got 4 out of 5 because I didn’t remember there were two Harrisons — but since Grover Cleveland was president No.22 and No.24, would that count for No.6?”

Certainly. But no counting any prez who merely got re-elected.

WEEKLY WIT-WRENCHER — The word “aardvark” has a double “a,” which is highly unusual. It’s not hard to think of words with a double “e,” or a double “o.” But when you get into an “a” or “i” or “u,” the pickings get a little slim.

At the moment, in fact, I can think of only one other common word containing a double “a,” one word containing a double “i,” and one with a double “u.”

Can you come up with all three? (Answers below.)

THE QUOTE RACK — “I was a vegetarian until I started leaning toward the sunlight.”

— Rita Rudner

WIT-WRENCHER REVISITED — Bazaar, skiing and vacuum.

(There may be some others, but I can’t think of any at the moment. I feel you ought to be proud if you got even one of those.)

SAN JOSE -- Grenades were discovered at an estate sale Monday, prompting the evacuation of about 10 homes near the San Jose Country Club, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the 300 block of Gordon Avenue, near Greenside Drive, about 4:10 p.m., said Sgt. Rich Glennon. Get breaking news with our free mobile app....

The seven adult children of David and Louise Turpin, the couple accused of abusing and imprisoning them for years at their Perris home, have been released from the hospital, their attorney said Monday.